Reducing machine, including spaced oppositely rotating rotors



Jan. 30, 1951 F. J. WRIGHT 2,540,021 REDUCING MACHINE, INCLUDING SPACED OPPOSITELY ROTATING ROTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1946 FEED J. WEIGHT, BY

Jan. 30, 1951 F J. WRIGHT 2,

REDUCING MACHINE, INCLUDING SPACED OPPOSITELY ROTATING ROTORS Filed Oct. s, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q a Q Q o r51 4 1 El 3 I3 0 Q 35 WYVENT i FREE} J. WRIGHT,

Jan. 30, 1951 F. J. WRIGHT REDUCING MACHINE, INCLUDING SPACED OPPOSITELY ROTATING ROTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 5, 1946 r H Ill ll l llL lll IIL III f/vvE/vToe; FEED J. WEIGHT,

Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT orncs REDUCING MACHINE, INCLUDING SPACED OPPOSITELY ROTATING ROTORS Fred J. Wright, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application October 3, 1946, Serial No. 700,971

Claims.

My invention relates to improved material reducing apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus wherein there are present two rotating material reducing elements.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved material reducing apparatus having a pair of driven material reducing rotors positioned side by side wherein the rotors rotate in opposite directions and in timed, or phased relation with respect to each other.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved material reducing apparatus having a material reducing chamber in which there is a .pair of oppositely driven material reducing rotors positioned side by side and each provided with material reducing elements which protrude therefrom and rotate therewith in timed or phased relation with the said elements on the other rotor, the rotors being driven in a direction whereby material reducing elements move through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an improved material reducing apparatus as set forth in the foregoing object wherein the working path of the material reducing elements carried by one of the oppositely rotating rotors extends into, overlaps, or sweeps the working path of material reducing elements of the other rotor.

In carrying out each of the foregoing objects it is also an object of my invention to provide an improved material reducing apparatus wherein a feed apparatus feeds material into a material reducing chamber and substantially between oppositely rotating timed or phased rotors in batches or in varying quantity.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation of one form of material reducing apparatus embodying my inpath of operation of the swing hammers of the other rotor;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through a grinder having a gravity feed chute and material reducing elements that are rigidly fixed to the rotors;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showin an apparatus wherein the working paths of the rigid hammers of one rotor overlap or extend into the working paths of the other rotor, the apparatus including material diverting bars p0- sitioned above and between the rotors;

Fig. 6 is a view of an apparatus similar to that shown in Fig. 3 but having rotors and reducing elements of a difierent type; and

Fig. 7 is a view in plan of a pair of spaced rotors showing one manner in which the material reducing elements thereof may be stagger spaced, internal parts of the rotors being omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 2 wherein one form of reducing apparatus embodying my invention is shown, the reducing apparatus includes a housing or casing Iii. The housing or casing IO includes a base portion H and a top portion [2 which is carried by and suitably secured to the top of the base portion l I. Within the housing 10 is a pair of material reducing rotors [3 which are carried on shafts M. The shafts I4 are parallel to each other and extend through the housing or casing ill and through openings provided at the junction of the bottom or base of the top portion l2 and the top of the base portion H. The base portion ll includes a pair of horizontally disposed reinforcing members l5, one of which is disposed on each of opposite sides thereof, and these members 15 form ledges that support bearings I6 which carry the shafts l4.

As seen in Fig. 1, the ends of shafts hi on one side of the casing or housing HE are provided with sprockets I! by which they are driven. The ends vention and showing one form of mechanism for driving and timing the material reducing rotors of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through Fig. 1 showing one form of internal construction of the apparatus which includes swing "of {lih'iiSWiIl-Q hammers of. one rgtor overlap the of the shafts i l opposite the drive sprockets ll carry fly wheels, which are not shown. Positioned above the drive sprockets ii is an idler sprocket 58 carried by the top portion l2 of the housing or casing I a through a suitable antifriction mounting means that includes a plate 19 secured to said top portion l2 of the casing or housing. A driving motor 23 for driving the shafts M and the rotors of the apparatus carries a sprocket 2! on its armature shaft and is shown as being mounted to one side of the base portion H on the base or floor which supports the cas- QrLh using ID. All of the sprockets lly lil' and 2| are in alignment and they carry a chain 22 which transmits power from the motor 28 to the rotor shafts It. The chain and sprocket drive mechanism functions to synchronize, time, or phase the positions of the rotors with respect to each other. While I prefer to use a chain drive for this purpose it to be understood that any mechanism may be employed that is capable of positively synchronizing or phasing the rotors, as hereinafter described. The motor sprocket 21, as seen in Fig. l, is driven to rotate in aclockwise direction to cause the sprocket H on the right side of the machine to rotate in a clockwise direction and the sprocket 11 on the left side of the machine to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. The important function of the drive mechanism is clearly set forth hereinafter.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, material to be reduced is fed into the casing or housing ill by a reciprocating or shuffling type feeder 23. Such feeders are well known in the material reducing art and therefore only that portion of the feeder necessary to a complete understanding of my invention is shown. The top portion i2 of the casing or housing "ii! is provided with an opening 24 communicating with a cover or hood 2% of the feeder 23. The base of the feeder 23 includes a frame 26 which extends through the opening 23 into a reducing chamber 2?, formed by the top portion 12 of the housing or casing 133, to a point substantially directly above the right hand rotor. The frame 28 is of rugged construction and is capable of withstanding impacts of material which may be thrown against it by the action of the rotors I3 and their reducing elements. The frame 25 includes a roller 28 which carries a bed plate 29 that is reciprocated relatively slowly by a suitable reciprocating mechanism, not shown. The feeder 23 at its material receiving end includes a hopper of which the bed plate at forms the bottom.

As material is fed to the hopper and the bed plate is reciprocated, material is moved from the hopper to the left, as seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, by the bed plate 29. This movement to the left moves the bed plate 2% inwardly into the reducing chamber 21 and as the bed plate is reciprocated to the right it slides from beneath the material which it is carrying and causes this material to be dropped or spilled into the reducing chamber at an even rate while the bed plate 29 is being withdrawn from the reducing chamber. Thus the feed of the material takes place intermittently or in batches, that is, when the bed plate 29 is moving to the left or inwardly into the reducing chamber 2?, no material is being fed to the rotors I3 but when the bed plate 29 is moved to the right, the material which is on it and inwardly of the innermost end of the frame 26 is dropped into the reducing chamber and between the rotors i 3 because the bed plate 29 is withdrawn from beneath it.

Preferably there is a plurality of chains 30 which hang downwardly in the hood 25 adj acent the opening 24 in the top portion i2 of the housing or casing It which function to prevent material thrown by the rotors from passing out wardly into the feed mechanism.

The material reducing elements 13 are secured to the rotor shafts M to rotate therewith and, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, each of them carries a plurality of spaced material reducing elements in the form of swing hammers 3|. The swing hammers 3l of each rotor are mounted between discs 32 that are spaced apart by collar members-t3 tween the rotors i3.

on the shaft t and secured together by a plurality of spaced tie bolts 34 which extend through the discs. Both the discs 32 and collars 33 are keyed to the shaft 15. Alternate tie bolts 35. extend through openings 35 in the inner ends of the swing hammers 3i pivotally connecting the hammers to the rotor body for swinging motion. Preferably each end of each swing hammer is provided with an opening 35 in order that the hammers may be removed from their tie bolts 38, turned end for end and replaced upon the rotor body. As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, upon each rotor l3 there are six rows of swing hammers 3i. Three rows of the hammers are equally spaced with respect to each other and a hammer is mounted between every other pair of spaced discs while the other three rows of hammers are spaced between the first rows and the hammers are mounted between the pairs of discs between the hammore of the first rows. Thus the individual hammore of adjacent rows are staggered or stagger spaced with respect to each other.

It is to be particularly noted that the rotors are spaced and so phased, timed or synchronized with respect to each other that the hammers of one rotor when horizontal and extending toward the other rotor are in a plane which is between or bisects a pair of adjacent swing hammers 3| of the other rotor whereby they maybe described as out of phase. The positiv chain drive fixes the phase relation of said rotors 3!. The spacing of the swing hammers 3| upon their rotors is such that one or more of the hammers of each of the rotors is always present in the space be- Thus when the rotors are being driven, oversize pieces of material cannot at any time pass downwardly between the rotors because there are always upwardly moving hammers of one of the rotors in this area that will knock said pieces of material upwardly into the material reducing chamber 21 or reduce it in size by impact, cutting or slicing. Thus it may be said that the upwardly moving hammers of both of the rotors co-operate to form an unbroken upwardly moving material reducing screen in the bottom of the reducing chamber 21 between the rotors Hi.

It is the main function of the driving mechanism including the sprockets and chain 22 to maintain the rotors in synchronized, timed or phased relationship when the material reducing apparatus is in operation. Since th rotors 13 are secured to the parallel shafts M to rotate therewith, it will be seen that the rotors rotate in opposite directions with the left hand rotor 13 rotating in a counter-clockwise direction and the right hand rotor 13 rotating oppositely or in a clockwise direction, as is indicated by arrows in all of the figures.

In the top portion of th material reducing chamber 21 is a plurality of heavy bars 35 which line walls of the reducing chamber and which are spaced inwardly from outer walls of the top portion 12 and which extend parallel to the parallel rotors l3. These bars 36 are spaced from one another in order to assist in the reduction of material and to provide a grate or screen through which material that has been reduced in size by the swing hammers 3: of the reducing rotors l3 and the bars 36 may pass. Along one side of the top portion [2 opposite the feed mechanism 23 the bars 36 co-0perate with a side wall of the top portion i2 to form a chute 31. The bars 35 are spaced inwardly from this wall and material that'has been reduced and thrown pr knocked toward the bars may pass between them. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 material which does pass between them will fall downwardly to a primary crushing plate or member 38. As the material slides downwardly over the primary crushing plate 38 it is engaged by the swing hammers 3| which co-operate with the crushing member 38 and the material is further reduced. The pieces of material thus reduced by the co-operation of the swing hammers 3I and the member 38 fall or are knocked downwardly by the left hand rotor I 3 and the material is then further reduced by the swing hammers 3I which.

may be positioned below the bottom opening of the base. I I of the housing or casing I0.

Material in the reducing chamber 21 which has not "been sufficiently reduced and does not pass between the bars 36 will fall by gravity and will be struck by the swing hammers M which will again reduce the material and throw it upwardly into the reducing chamber 21. It is, of course, understood that material which has not been sufficiently reduced and is falling in the chamber 2'! may be struck by upwardly moving pieces of material which have been propelled upwardlyby impact of the swing hammers 3i and that the collisions of these pieces of material may cause them to be further reduced.

Directly above the left hand rotor I3 is a pair of parallel bars 4| that function to direct or divert large pieces of material toward the area between the rotors I3. The right hand side of the reducing apparatus below th feed mechanism 23 is like the left hand side of the machine, that is, this portion of the machine is symmetrical about a vertical center line and it includes a bar 42 which corresponds in position to the lowermost of the bars 4|. Bar 42 functions to protect the end of the frame 26 of the feed'mechanism 23 from being directly struck and damaged by heavy fragments and pieces of material.

It is to be particularly noted that because of the phased, timed, or synchronized re'ation of the hammers on the rotors I3, the area between the rotors is at all times substantially filled by hammers '3l which are moving upwardly to present a screen-like material reducing face to the material which i' the reducing chamber 21. It is also to be noted that the individual hammer elements are arrangecf upon each rotor to'form rows and that the hammer elements of each row are stagger spaced with respect to the hammer elements of the adjacent rows thereof. Because of the spacing of the rotors with respect to each other the individual hammer elements of each rotor extend radially outwardly into and overlap directly the path ofanother radially extending hammer element on the other rotor in the area between the rotors and thus the hammerelement extending into the path of the other element swings radially and follows or sweeps through the path of the other element. This arrangement of hammers or material "reducing elements precludes any possibility ofdarge pieces of mate 'ial ecoming wedged between the hammer or material reducing ele'- ments while the hammer or material reducing elements are moving upwardly in timed relation in the area between the rotors and into the material reducing chamber thereabove which might cause damage to the rotors or their hammer ele ments.

It will be seen that should an oversize piece of material fall or be knocked between the rotors I3 and should the swing hammers 3| abut the piece endwise or otherwise, the hammers will not function as rigid arms tending to crush the material but that the swing hammers 3I will swing about their mounting bolts 34 to permit the swing hammers to function as arms each having an elbow and that the arms will cause the piece of material to be carried upwardly and into the reducing chamber 21 where it will again be subjected to reducing impacts. Thus damaging strains on the rotor parts and their shafts will never occur even should the rotors be operated at slow speed. Referring now to Fig. 3, the structure of the apparatus there shown is like that of Fig. 2 except that the primary crushing plate 38, secondary breaker bars 39 and grinding grates 0r screens 40 are omitted and the bars 36 extend downwardly into the base portion I I. There is another important distinction between the machine of these figures, however. It is to be noted that the paths of the swing hammers of one rotor overlap, extend into, or sweep the paths of the swing hammers of the other rotor to provide an arrangement wherein the rotor bodies are placed closer together.

Th relation of the rotors, one to the other,

shown in Fig. 3 is preferred to that of Fig. 2 because the space between the rotors is considerably reduced over thatof the mechanism seen in Fig. 2 and thus the probability of material getting between the rotors is also reduced. The apparatus shown in Fig. 3, because of the elimination of the grinding elements 38, 39 and 40, yields a more coarsely ground product than does the mechanism of Fig.2. The elements 38, 39 and 40 may be retained with the rotor arrangement of Fig. 3,if desired.

Fig. 4 shows a machine embodying my invention that may be employed for reducing materials which are of such character that they tend to be tough and more or less resilient but which, if caught between the reducing elements of the rotors, will not damage the elements or the rotor parts. In this machine there is a feed chute 41 which enters the top of the top portion I2 of the housing or casing III and through which material is fed into the material reducing chamber by gravity. In this embodiment, the rotors I3 are spaced as are the rotors of the machine shown in Fig 2. It is to be noted that these rotors do not carry swing hammers but are provided with hammers 43 which include three legs 44 two of which extend between discs 32 and are secured by tie bolts 34 that extend through an opening 45 formed in each leg of each hammer. The ham"- mers 43 like the swing hammers 3| may be re,- moved from the tie bolts 34, rotated and replaced upon the rotor to cause another of the legs 44 to act as the material reducing portion of the hammers. The hammers 44 are arranged in three unstaggered rows, but, if desired, the rows of hammers may be staggered as described in connection with Figs..2 and 3. The rotor and ham-'- mer arrangementherein shown is known generally as a rigid hammer type of rotor construc enter the space between the rotors.

tion. This arrangement of rotors may besubistitutedf or those ofFigs. 2 -and 3.

The housing or casing-of Fig. -5 is like that-of Fig. 4 and 'the rotors of this apparatus carry hammers similar-to those described in connection with Fig. 4, but the rotors are spaced with :respect to each other as are the rotors of Fig. 3 so that the paths of the hammers 43 of the-rotors 'roverlap or sweep each other as do those of that figure. Positioned directly above and between the rotors 13 are three breaker :bars 46 which extend across the reducing chamber parallel t the axes of the rotor shafts 14 and these bars 46 function to split and divert material which has fallen :through the feed chute 4! sidewardly so that "masses of the material will not enter the area between the rotors. In Figs. 4 and 5, bars 35 line opposite sides of the reducing chamber 31 and these rows of bars are spaced inwardly from the sides of the chamber and extend downwardly .into the base portion H of the apparatus. With a this arrangement of the bars 36 material which "enters the chutes 31 is directed past the rotors l3 and is dropped from the bottom of the apparatus.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another form of material reducing apparatus. The apparatus shown in Fig. 6 is identical to the apparatus seen in Fig. 3 except that I have shown a pair of rotors 48 which include roller elements 49. The rotors which I have utilized here are constructed in accordance with the teachings of Oscar J. Feight in his Patent No. 2,339,628, dated January 18, 1944, for a Crusher, and only so much of the construction of the rotors as is pertinent to my invention is shown and described.

Each of the rotors 4-8 includes a shaft 5' upon which there are secured a pair of end discs 5'! that include three members 52 that form radially inwardly facing peripheral shoulders 53. Between the ends of the shoulder members 52 are removable plates 54 which are removed to permit the removal of roller elements 49 that extend between the end discs 5!. Each end of each rotor 48 includes a mutilated plate receive the stub ends 57 of the rollers and provide for maximum radial adjustment of the rollers 49 with respect to the axes of the rotor shaft when the rotor is in operation. In order to secure radial adjustment of the rollers 59 bolts Bil that secure the mutilated plates 55 to the end discs 5i are removed and the mutilated plates together with the rollers are rotated with respect tothe end discs 5! to positions wherein the stub ends 5? of the rollers may recede outwardly into the desired notches 58 or 59 or the mutilated plates may be rotated to a position wherein the shoulders 53 of the end discs 5| engage the stub ends 5'! and the plates are re-bolted to theend discs 5|. It will be seen that the rollers 49 provide heavy solid members Which extend across the reducing chamber parallel to the axis of the rotor shafts and that the rollers are capable of being moved inwardly radially should material The rollers, because of their weight and centrifugal force, will crush or tend to crush any pieces of material that might get in the space between the rotors and because the rollers are capable of inward movement; the rotor'parts will notbe damaged. The

rrotors of Fig. 6, like those of the other figures. are synchronized, timed or phased by the driving mechanism including the motor 20 and chain 22.

From the foregoing it will be seen that -I have provided an improved material reducing apparatus wherein there are adjacent rotating paral: lel rotors that carry material reducing elements which form parts of the rotors and that the rotors are positively timed, phased, or synchronized with respect to each other so that the working paths of the reducing elements of one rotor may overlap, sweep, or extend into the working paths of the reducing elements of the other rotor, and that this arrangement provides a material reducing apparatus wherein the reducing elements present to the material being reduced in effect a screen-like material reducing surface in the bottom of the reducing chamber of the apparatus.

It is to be understood that each arrangement of rotors may be employed in either of the two housings illustrated. Purely as an example, the rotor arrangement of Fig. 5 may be substituted for that of Fig. 2 so that the rotors of Fig. 5 are assembled in the housing of Fig. 2. This makes possible a large number of housing and rotor combinations.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus of the class described including means forming a material reducing chamber, a pair of rotors in said chamber mounted for rotation in opposite directions on spaced parallel axis having hammer elements stagger spaced thereon, said rotors being spaced so that each of the stagger spaced hammer elements of each rotor sweeps into and out of the path of one of the stagger spaced hammer elements of the other rotor, means phasing the positions of the rotors with respect to one another whereby the stagger spaced hammer elements of one rotor rotate in phased relation with the stagger spaced hammer elements of the other rotor and rotate in opposite directions whereby said hammer elements travel upwardly through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber thereby providing substantially a screen between the rotors the elements of which can reduce material while traveling between the rotors, and feed means adapted to feed material into said reducing chamber and to said rotors substantially between them.

2. Apparatus of the class described including means forming a material reducing chamber, a pair of rotors in said chamber mounted for rotation in opposite directions on spaced parallel axes having hammer elements stagger spaced thereon, said rotors being spaced so that each of the stagger spaced hammer elements of each rotor sweeps into and out of the path of one of the stagger spaced hammer elements of the other rotor, means phasing the positions of the rotors with respect to one another whereby the stagger spaced hammer elements of one rotor rotate in phased relation with the stagger spaced sew r. el m e 9 the Q iete r and ate 9 in opposite directions whereby said hammer elements travel upwardly through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber thereby providing substantially a screen between the rotors the elements of which can reduce material while traveling between the rotors, feed means adapted to feed material into said reducing chamber and to said rotors substantially 1 ing the positions of the rotors with respect to one another whereby the spaced hammer elements of one rotor rotate in phased relation with the spaced hammer elements of the other rotor and rotate in opposite directions whereby said hammer elements travel upwardly through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber thereby providing substantially a screen between the rotors, the elements of which can reduce material while traveling between the rotors, and feed means adapted to feed material into said reducing chamber above said rotors.

4. Apparatus of the class described including means forming a material reducing chamber, a pair of oppositely rotating rotors in the bottom of said chamber having hammer elements spaced thereon, said rotors being spaced so that the hammer elements of one rotor travel between the rotors into and out of the path of the hammer elements of the other rotor, means phasing the positions of the rotors with respect to one another whereby the spaced hammer elements of one rotor rotate in phased relation with the spaced'hammer elements of the other rotor and rotate in opposite directions whereby said hammer elements travel upwardly through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber thereby providing substantially a screen between the rotors, the elements of which can reduce material while traveling between the rotors, feed means adapted to feed material into said reducing chamber above said rotors, and means in said reducing chamber adapted to divert material falling in said chamber sidewardly and away from the area between said rotors.

5. Apparatus of the class described including means forming a material reducing chamber, a pair of oppositely rotating rotors in the bottom Number Name Date 359,630 Pratt Mar. 22, 1887 442,815 Meakin Dec. 16, 1890 455,531 Good et a1 July 7, 1891 500,582 Jones July 4, 1893 675,751 Moustier June 4, 1901 811,671 Simpson Feb. 6, 1906 1,010,062 Lyon Nov. 28, 1911 1,407,330 Hiller Feb. 21, 1922 1,611,944 Rapp Dec. 28, 1926 40 2,041,188 Johnson May 19, 1936 2,148,022 Haaland Feb. 21, 1939 2,339,628 Feight Jan. 18, 1944 2,351,506 Hagemeyer June 13, 1944 2,373,691 Kessler Apr. 1'7, 1945 2,374,456 Ravndal Apr. 24, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 394,008 France Nov. 14, 1908 332,563 Germany Feb. 5, 1921 591,645 Great Britain Aug. 25, 1947 of said chamber having hammer elements spaced thereon said rotors being spaced so that the hammer elements of one rotor travel between the rotors into and out of the path of the hammer elements of the other rotor, means phasing the positions of the rotors with respect to one another whereby the spaced hammer elements of one rotor rotate in phased relation with the spaced hammer elements of the other rotor and rotate in opposite directions whereby said hammer elements travel upwardly through the space between the rotors into the reducing chamber thereby providing substantially a screen between the rotors, the elements of which can reduce material while traveling between the rotors, feed means adapted to feed material into said reducing chamber above said rotors, and breaker bar means extending across said reducing chamber directly above the space between said rotors adapted to divert material falling in said chamber sidewardly and away from said space.

FRED J. WRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES New Holland Double Impellor Stone Crusher, Bulletin 651 of New Holland Machine Co., New Holland, Pa., U. S. A., printed Nov. 6, 1944, 8 pages. (Copy in 241-187.) 

